PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT: AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT A South African perspective (Gautrain) by MARYAM TITILAYO AREGBESHOLA Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in the subject ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: MR KF MEARNS MARCH 2009 Acknowledgements Alhamdu lillahi to the almighty Allah for giving me the wisdom, knowledge and all the support I needed to complete this study. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to my supervisor, Mr KF Mearns, for his time, enthusiasm and encouragement from the beginning to the final stages of this dissertation. Furthermore, I am very grateful to my late father, Mr RD Ogunjobi, my mother Mrs FA Ogunjobi, my aunt Ms Agnes Adegbuyi, and my brothers and sisters for their unconditional love, support and motivation throughout my academic and professional journey through life. My deep and unending gratitude goes to my husband, Mr RA Aregbeshola, for his continued love, patience, support and encouragement; thank you for believing in me and for financing my studies. I also thank my children, Abdul Hameed and Abdul Rahman, for their love and for understanding that I was not able to spend much time with them while I was studying. My unreserved appreciation goes to the Ogunjobis, Aregbesholas, Adeleyes, Adegbuyis, Durowojus and Adegboyegas families for their care, support and love. I acknowledge the effort of my subject librarian, Ms Brown, for providing me with some valuable information used during the study. Thank you too to Ms Hellen Muller and Mr OV Kilpert for reading through the statistical data and making the necessary contributions. My appreciation also goes to Ms Bronwyn Gay for her painstaking efforts to read this dissertation. I also thank all the respondents to my questionnaires for their willingness to complete the questionnaires; without them, this research would not have been possible. Finally, I thank all my lecturers at the Department of Environmental Sciences, my colleagues and friends for their interest, courage, jokes and support. I thank you all! ii Declaration I declare that "Public participation in environmental impact assessment: an effective tool for sustainable development, a South African perspective (Gautrain)" is my own work and that all sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledge by means of complete references. Signature Date Mrs MT Aregbeshola iii Abstract The need for public participation in the development of policies, programmes or actions has been widely accepted by both government and private sectors because of the benefits of such involvement. Involving the public in the development of any policy, programme or action is, however, a daunting task. Public involvement in the development of a policy or action often leads to protest, legal litigation, criticism and delay in carrying out the project. The main objectives of this research are to examine the process of public participation in the Gautrain project and to interrogate how public involvement in the decision-making processes of environmental concerns can be improved. A quantitative study was conducted to describe and explore the process of public participation in the Gautrain environmental impact assessment procedure. The purposive sampling method was used. Thereafter, the data generated was analysed using statistical tools such as charts, tables and the Wilcoxon Mann Whitney U test to examine the similarities and differences in the response patterns of the public and the project proponent. Cronbach alpha statistical methodology was also used to test the reliability of the measurement. The findings are discussed in relation to the objectives of the study and research hypotheses. The results indicate that (1) the public were not involved early enough during the project planning and design phases; (2) adequate information was not provided to the public; and (3) public input does not have much impact on decision- making processes. The study does, however, indicate that the process has enhanced the participants’ learning and that the process of participation has improved in recent time as compared to the 2002-2003 periods. The study concludes by providing relevant solutions and recommendations. Key words: public participation, environmental impact assessment, sustainable development, integrated environmental management (IEM) South Africa iv Abbreviations and acronyms AAPSA Alliance Against the Park Street Alignment BID Background Information Document CBA Cost Benefit Analysis CBD Central Business District CLF Community Liaison Forum CONNEPP Consultative National Environmental Policy Process CO2 Carbon dioxide GDACEL Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Land affairs (Gauteng) DEAT Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EIR Environmental Impact Report EIS Environmental Impact Statement EMU Electric Multiple Unit Gautrans Gauteng Department of Public Transport and Work GDP Gross Domestic Product IAIA International Association for Impact Assessment I&AP Interested and Affected Parties IEM Integrated Environmental Management IMF International Monetary Fund v MLPORA Muckleneuk/Lukasrand Property Owners and Resident Association NEMA National Environmental Management Act NEPA National Environmental Protection Act NGO Non-Governmental Organisation RSA Republic of South Africa RoD Record of decision SDI Spatial Development Initiative SPSS Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences TBM Tunnel Boring Machine UN United Nations UNCED United Nations Commission on the Environment and Development WB World Bank WCED World Commission on Environment and Development vi Table of contents Content Page Acknowledgements ii Declaration iii Abstract iv Abbreviations and acronyms v Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 1 1.1 Introduction and background to the study 1 1.2 The Gautrain 4 1.3 Preliminary literature review: a conceptual overview 5 1.4 Motivation for the study 8 1.5 Formulation of the problem and hypothesis 9 1.6 Study area 11 1.7 Research design and methodology 12 1.8 Chapter framework 14 1.9 Chapter summary 15 Chapter 2 THE THEORETICAL CONNOTATION AND PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION 16 2.1 Introduction 16 2.2 Conceptual overview of public participation 17 2.3 Rationale for public participation 19 2.4 Types and techniques of participation 21 2.5 Importance of public participation 23 2.6 Factor that can hinder public participation 25 2.7 Environmental impact assessment (EIA) 26 2.8 The purpose of EIA 27 2.9 An over view of Environmental assessment in South Africa 29 2.10 Public participation in South Africa 35 2.11 How to improve public participation 37 vii 2.12 Sustainable development 38 2.13 Effectiveness of the public participation process 40 2.14 Chapter summary 43 Chapter 3 44 THE GAUTRAIN PROJECT 44 3.1 Introduction 44 3.2 Positive project impact 44 3.3 Overview of the EIA process of the Gautrain project 46 3.4 Issues raised during the EIA 51 3.5 Train and rail infrastructure 53 3.6 Park and ride services 54 3.7 Public-private partnerships 54 3.8 The construction work 55 3.9 The train depot 56 3.10 The community liaison forum 56 3.11 Chapter summary 57 Chapter 4 58 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 58 4.1 Introduction 58 4.2 Research design 58 4.3 Population 59 4.4 Research instrument 60 4.5 Validity and reliability of the research instrument 61 4.6 Data collection procedure 65 4.7 Ethical considerations 65 4.8 Constraints 65 4.9 Chapter summary 65 Chapter 5 66 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 66 5. 1 Introduction 66 5.2 Data and method of analysis applied 66 5.3 Presentation of findings 66 5.4 An analysis of the public respondents’ questionnaire 67 5.5 Proponent's response 86 viii 5.6 Testing of the hypotheses 97 5.7 Chapter summary 113 CHAPTER 6 114 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION 114 6.1 Introduction 114 6.2 Findings of the research 114 6.3 Overall summary 118 6.4 General recommendation 118 6.5 Further research 119 6.6 Conclusion 120 List of references 121 List of appendices 135 Appendix 1 Proposed route 136 Appendix 2 Proposed route alignment and alternatives 137 Appendix 3 Investigated routes 149 Appendix 4 Public Questionnaire 150 Appendix 5 Questionnaire for Gautrain proponent 159 ix List of figures Figure 1.1: Outline of the study area 11 Figure 2.1: The Integrated Environmental Management procedure 31 Figure 3.1: The Gautrain EIA process 48 Figure 3.2: Recommended Routes 52 Figure 5.1: Qualifications of public respondents 68 Figure 5.2: Provision of adequate information 73 Figure 5.3: Early participation in the project planning and design phase 74 Figure 5.4: Representation and access 75 Figure 5.5: Negotiation and dialogue 77 Figure 5.6: Information 78 Figure 5.7: Satisfaction with management's decisions 80 Figure 5.8: Learning enhancement 81 Figure 5.9: Participation after approval 83 Figure 5.10: Rating of the Gautrain public participation process 85 Figure 5.11: Qualifications of the project proponent 87 Figure 5.12: Period of involvement in the Gautrain EIA 87 Figure 5.13: Provision of adequate information 89 Figure 5.14: Early participation 90 Figure 5.15: Representation and access 90 Figure 5.16: Negotiation and dialogue 91 Figure 5.17: Access to information 92 Figure 5.18: Satisfaction with management decisions 93 Figure 5.19: Educative 94 Figure 5.20: The rating of the Gautrain EIA process by the project proponent 96 x List of